A check tube labelled “Hen Flu” and eggs are seen on this image illustration, January 14, 2023.
| Picture Credit score: Reuters
Australia and New Zealand are bracing for the arrival of a damaging chook flu pressure by tightening biosecurity at farms, testing shore birds for illness, vaccinating susceptible species and war-gaming response plans.
Oceania is the final area of the world freed from the H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b avian influenza that has killed a whole lot of thousands and thousands of birds and tens of 1000’s of mammals since showing in Asia, Europe and Africa in 2020, littering seashores with corpses and upending the agricultural trade.
Whereas the area is considerably protected by its geography – it’s off the migration routes of massive birds similar to geese that unfold an infection – the virus is shut, having reached Indonesia in 2022 and Antarctica final yr.
Scientists and officers say there’s a increased danger, significantly in Australia, of it arriving with smaller migratory shore birds through the Southern Hemisphere springtime months from September to November.
“It’s clearly a risk to our nation’s ecosystems,” mentioned Fiona Fraser, Threatened Species Commissioner at Australia’s surroundings ministry.
“A lot of our species are discovered nowhere else on the planet,” she mentioned. “Weak species could face long-term inhabitants setbacks and heightened danger of extinction.”
Officers concern mass deaths from the avian flu and even the near-extinctions of species together with endangered sea lions, black swans and lots of sorts of seabird, and the lack of thousands and thousands of farmed poultry.
Over 100 million chickens and turkeys have died or been culled in the USA alone from this H5N1 pressure, inflicting financial losses of as much as $3 billion by the tip of final yr, in response to the Council of International Relations, a U.S. assume tank.
The virus killed round 50,000 seals and sea lions and greater than half 1,000,000 wild birds because it moved by way of South America starting in 2022.
It has additionally contaminated cattle in the USA and, in uncommon circumstances, folks. Well being officers say the chance to people is low.
New Zealand can also be unlikely to keep away from the virus long-term, mentioned Mary van Andel, chief veterinary officer for the nation’s Ministry of Main Industries.
“Geographic isolation has protected us from HPAI (excessive pathogenicity avian influenza) prior to now, however we are able to’t depend on it eternally,” she mentioned.
Each international locations have intensified preparation.
Australia created a activity power throughout authorities departments and stress-tested its preparedness in August and September with a collection of workout routines simulating an H5N1 outbreak in wildlife.
New Zealand has trialled a vaccine on 5 endangered native birds and mentioned it might be rolled out to extra species.
“We’re tremendous paranoid about these 5 species, as a result of the chance to them of dropping the breeding inhabitants is that we might lose the species,” mentioned Kate McInnes, science advisor at New Zealand’s Division of Conservation.
Australia can also be creating choices for vaccinating threatened wild birds held in captivity, officers mentioned. The 2 vaccination schemes are among the many solely ones for non-farmed animals on the planet.
Farms are boosting biosecurity measures together with limiting contact between poultry and wild birds, monitoring workers’ motion, sterilising water and gear and putting in automated techniques that detect wild birds and scare them away, trade officers from each international locations mentioned.
Whereas Australia has had quite a few outbreaks of extremely pathogenic chook flu strains in poultry flocks, together with earlier this yr, they had been less-virulent strains that didn’t unfold by way of wild birds.
New Zealand has by no means confronted excessive pathogenicity chook flu. Its poultry trade affiliation has organised journeys to each Australia and Britain to be taught from farms there.
“We’ve been at peacetime,” mentioned Poultry Business Affiliation New Zealand Government Director Michael Brooks. “Frankly, now we’re doubtlessly heading to wartime.”
Oceania has had longer than different areas to arrange for the arrival of H5N1, however whereas the poultry trade can lock down, wild populations can’t be contained.
“We’ve realized rather a lot from the way in which the illness has unfold the world over. We’ve stepped up our preparedness as finest we are able to,” mentioned Brant Smith, an official at Australia’s agriculture ministry overseeing the nation’s response.
“However each single continent has seen enormous mortality occasions in wildlife. We’re prone to see this happen right here too.”
Printed – October 09, 2024 02:25 pm IST
